


Hyacinths To Ashes - Extras

by Aston (AstonT)



Series: Hyacinths To Ashes [2]
Category: Kuroko no Basuke | Kuroko's Basketball
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-09-26
Updated: 2017-10-02
Packaged: 2019-01-05 21:18:34
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 15
Words: 3,842
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12197619
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AstonT/pseuds/Aston
Summary: Extra bits from Hyacinths To Ashes - canon to the au or not - that I'm working on while I'm beginning the next part of Hyacinths To Ashes.





	1. Some Things Will Last

**Author's Note:**

> All of these are over on my Tumblr. I was originally not going to post them here, but I suppose it couldn't hurt

The first full conversation they'd had over the phone since Nijimura went to high school wasn't one that either of them liked to remember.  
  
It had been right after that first text from Nijimura, and it had told him all he needed to know about what had happened to cause Kuroko to quit the Teiko team. 

" _This... this isn't how everything's going to be, is it? There's going to be something that lasts longer than this?_ "

Nijimura blinked in surprise at the almost pleading tone the shadow was using, but didn't argue it. Instead, he gave a small smile and spoke in the calmest voice he could muster through the spike of anger at the other Miracles for causing this. "This didn't last because it wasn't meant to, Kuro. It was only meant to prepare and send you on to something better. That will last much longer, I promise."

A shaky sigh came as response, so Nijimura sat on the phone longer than he was planning just to talk Kuroko into a calmer state, listening to the quiet responses with ease. 

He was just glad that it didn't seem like Kuroko was prepared to give up on the sport for good. 

As soon as he'd hung up, he immediately set to work on a plan, texting a few of his own friends to get their opinions in on it as well. He just hoped Kuroko never crossed their paths, because they'd use this against the phantom player and he didn't want that.

 

 


	2. You May Have To Fight A Battle More Than Once To Win It

Immediately following the loss to Touou at Inter-High, Kuroko had left the rest of his team to their sulking and disappeared off to call Nijimura as he had after every game so far in the season. 

When Nijimura had answered, he had sounded excited, expectant and that put a damper on Kuroko's mood that didn't feel right. 

"We lost to Touou, badly. They doubled our score."

Silence came from Nijimura's end for a moment before a sigh followed and Kuroko braced for words that he wasn't sure would ever come. 

" _That's just fine, Kuro. You weren't ready for the battle, but it happens. Sometimes you have to fight the same fight more than once to win._ "

Kuroko smiled to himself at hearing that. "Arigatōgozaimashita."

This drew a laugh from Nijimura. " _Sure, go deal with your team, I'm sure they're upset at the loss._ "

Kuroko sighed once the call ended, but immediately turned to go back to the change room to talk to the rest of his team. 

Not that they talked much - everyone else was more than a little upset at the loss against Touou. 

And Kuroko found he couldn't repeat what Nijimura had told him when everyone looked so down, so he just let them have their sorrow in hopes it would fade out by the next game.


	3. Sometimes By Losing A Battle, You Find A New Way To Win The War

Immediately following Seirin's loss at Inter-High, Mayuzumi had been careful to find time away from practice to visit with Kuroko. 

He'd been rather surprised to see the bluenette working so stubbornly at improving despite having so long to work things out. 

Surprised, but impressed. 

"I didn't expect you on your feet again so soon after losing," Mayuzumi remarked as he watched Kuroko play around with ideas. 

Kuroko gave him a slightly amused look. "So what, we lost at Inter High. There's still Winter Cup, I'm going to find a way to win there," he commented. 

Mayuzumi smiled faintly in response to the hidden excitement in Kuroko's voice. "Lose a battle, win the war, huh? Good mentality, I suppose,"

Kuroko hummed his agreement, then shifted gears. "Help me with this, will you?"


	4. Nightmares (Nijihimu)

There were a few things that Nijimura hadn't been prepared for when he got into a relationship with someone like Himuro. 

And honestly, who in their right might could've expected that Himuro suffered from nightmares once they met him?

Nijimura sure hadn't, which might be why he got so disoriented when Himuro stayed over the first time and he got woke up to screaming. 

He hadn't even given himself time to let his heart stop trying to pound out of his chest before he'd rolled over and immediately set to waking Himuro once he pinpointed the screaming was coming from him. 

He supposed it was a good thing he was used to dealing with nightmares after having to travel with the Generation of Miracles for some of their games - sometimes involving an over-night stay if their opponents were too far off for it to be a quick one-day trip - and their occasional nightmares. 

At least he'd learned then not to shake someone who was having a nightmare awake, at any rate. 

He also hadn't expected for Himuro to launch into his arms, hiding his face from sight in a way that told Nijimura that he wasn't emotionally stable enough to meet his eyes. 

Not that he was complaining, he shifted to where he was laying on his back so Himuro could lay his head on his chest and listen to his now-calm heart until he was calm enough on his own. 

He didn't ask what the nightmare was about - he didn't need to know unless Himuro decided that on his own, so he wasn't about to press. 

He figured that Himuro had fallen back asleep by the time his breathing had settled out again, so it surprised him a bit to hear him talk as he let his own eyes close again, ready to surrender back to sleep. 

"...thank you for making me feel safe.." 

Nijimura bit his lip before he smiled softly and pressed a kiss to the top of Himuro's head. "Of course. Get some rest, I'll be right here if you need me,"


	5. "Do You Hate Me?" - Nijihimu

It had only been a matter of time before the fighting had started. 

Honestly, with everything going so well despite their own issues, Nijimura knew that the peace would come to a shattering end sooner or later. 

But he hadn't expected it to end in screaming and Himuro storming off outside, leaving him in the deafening silence of his house. 

And he certainly hadn't expected the tears that were dried on Himuro's face when he returned later in the evening. 

That hurt more than the actual fight had, if Nijimura was honest. 

But rather than ask questions - he didn't need to, he knew those tears were his fault and he wasn't about to make things worse, _fuck_ that - he simply stood to get a damp cloth and settled to wiping the tracks off Himuro's face gently. 

He only paused when Himuro spoke, voice quiet and breaking and sending a shock of pain into his heart. 

"..do... do you hate me?"

Nijimura glanced away from where his hands were moving gently against Himuro's face to meet his eyes before he gave a sad smile. "No, Tatsuya, I don't hate you. I'm not even angry with you, don't fret over it,"


	6. Jacket Thief - Midomomoi

If there was anything that the Shutoku team was enjoying about Midorima and Momoi going out, it was getting to see him flustered. 

Takao had long since stopped teasing him - it wasn't as if he needed to, all they had to do was mention Momoi in conversation and Midorima would bristle and get bright red and stumble over his words in the way that had since become a source of amusement for them. 

But seeing them interact was slowly beating that out - he was still flustered, but it was underneath a warm fondness they'd never seen from him before. 

As soon as their practice ended - Momoi had sat in on it, texting rather than paying attention to them, which made them relax quite a bit - Midorima had paused in his trek over to her only to blink. 

When Takao glanced back at him with a strange look for his faltering, he almost grinned at seeing the blush that the green haired shooting guard was trying to hide. "What's wrong, Shin-chan?"

Midorima glared at him, but barely had time to do so before Momoi had found her way over to them and wrapped Midorima in a short hug - just long enough to serve to fluster him more. 

Takao's grin widened when he noticed the girl wearing Midorima's team jacket. "Ah, that must be it. Cute,"

He barely had time to duck the hit Midorima tried to deliver to the back of his head, which gained a laugh from the others on the team and a look torn between amusement and concern from Momoi. 

Takao nodded and headed off to gather his own things, giving the two their space without another word despite the grin still on his face. 

"May I have my jacket back?"

Momoi looked up at Midorima in surprise before giving a mischievous grin and shook her head. "Nope, it's mine now."

Midorima went to argue, then just smiled fondly at her and shook his head. "Fine, but I need it back for games,"

" _Deal!_ "


	7. Regrets?

Once Kuroko’s cold anger had faded away - it has taken longer than Mayuzumi has thought, honestly, having gotten him through an entire school year and into the next - it had given way to a surprising amount of pained depression.

And for a change, he didn’t know how to help

Because really, how do you help someone who won’t let anyone close enough?

Which is exactly why he got a call not only from Kagami, but from both Himuro and Nijimura as well, telling him that something was wrong and they needed him there within the next week

And hell, they’d sounded so panicked that he’d asked his teachers to email him the work he would miss and made his way back home .

Nijimura met him at a restaurant and drug him along to his own home, where Himuro and Kagami were sitting together on the couch while Kuroko was nowhere to be seen.

Himuro looked up to see Mayuzumi before nodding towards the kitchen in answer to the silent question of where Kuroko was. “When’s the last time the two of you talked?”

“… Akashi had messaged him and he called me questioning if he had done the right thing.”

Nijimura nudged him towards the kitchen, his expression tense and drawn and so worried that he looked years older than he was.

Mayuzumi didn’t argue, just headed towards the kitchen.

He closed the door behind himself again upon entering.

When he caught sight of Kuroko, it was to see the bluenette sitting on the floor, curled into himself in a corner.

Mayuzumi didn’t ask what was wrong, just moved to sit in front of him and placed a hand on the bluenette’s knee gently.

Kuroko flinched back, though, and left Mayuzumi feeling a cold shock of _what the fuck is going on_?

Kuroko’s voice was shaky when he spoke. “Please don’t… don’t touch me,” he managed, letting his eyes find grey ones and leaving a bitter taste in Mayuzumi’s mouth upon seeing the sheer pain there. “… I don’t want you to get destroyed, so you can’t.”

“Kur…” Mayuzumi started, then cut himself off for a moment before he sighed and started again. “Kuroko, shadow, listen, you haven’t destroyed anything.”

“… I destroyed them.” Kuroko deadpanned, but his voice shook and hitched like he was trying not to break and Mayuzumi felt his heart shatter.

“You destroyed what destroyed you, which is perfectly normal and okay.” Mayuzumi said firmly. “None of it was your fault, so please stop tearing yourself to pieces.”

* * *

When Nijimura finally opened the door to check on them, Mayuzumi looked up at him from where Kuroko was resting against his chest, asleep.

“He felt guilty for not forgiving the others,” he offered quietly. “He’s much too kind.”

Nijimura smiled faintly in response. “Kuro’s naturally kind-hearted, of course he’ll doubt his actions when it involves causing others pain,”

Mayuzumi hummed his agreement, resting his cheek against the top of Kuroko’s head in silence and letting his own mask fall a bit further. “I wish i could take away his pain, because he’s been through too much,”

“Which is _exactly_ why we called you - he wouldn’t, because he knew you’d fix him and he wanted to suffer.”


	8. Beginnings - Midomomoi

“You… what?” Midorima frowned at Momoi, brow furrowed and his guard up.

“I was wondering if you’d like to go out on a date, Midorin,”

She did her best not to laugh when the green haired male went slightly red at the repeated question.

When he agreed regardless, she smiled widely and kissed his cheek before darting off, calling out a 'I’ll text you the details’ as she went, leaving Midorima staring after her in surprise.


	9. "I Love You" - Nijihimu

“ _What_ did you just say?” Himuro asked, his voice a perfect mix of horrified and amused as he stared at his boyfriend.

Said boyfriend only chuckled and repeated himself. “I said that as much as I love you, I’m tempted to bash in the head of your favorite teammate,”

“We’ll get back to that in a minute, ‘Mura, you _love me_?!”

Nijimura blinked in surprise at the panic-ridden tone to these words before understanding flickered in his eyes and he moved to wrap his arms carefully around the other, smiling softly. “Himuro Tatsuya, I adore you, I love you, and I need you to stop worrying about it being a lie,”

No response came, but he could feel Himuro smiling against his neck, where he had his face hidden, so he wasn’t complaining.


	10. "I Don't Want To Be Alone Right Now" - MayuKuro

Mayuzumi was used to quite a bit when it came to Kuroko - spending a year becoming such close friends and being one of the few to get to see beyond an icy mask would do that to a person. 

But he wasn't used to Kuroko requesting that he _stay_

He'd long since gotten used to Kuroko's home - ever since break began and Mayuzumi returned back home, it seemed he was there most nights because he didn't want to have to worry. 

But Kuroko was still out of sorts from his meltdown back towards the beginning of the school year, so Mayuzumi figured that him staying over sometimes couldn't hurt. 

That hadn't been the plan that night, though, so when he stood to go to his own home a little before dark and Kuroko grabbed his hand in something similar to a blind panic, it scared him. 

"...shadow?"

Kuroko stared blankly up at him for a moment before he found it in himself to speak. 

"...stay over? I don't... want to be alone right now..."

Mayuzumi held his gaze before he hummed in understanding and nodded. "Sure. But that means you need to get up and come with me so I can get a few things from home to make both our lives easier,"

Kuroko only hesitated another moment before he was up and moving.


	11. First Kiss - Non-canon - MayuKuro

“It’s nice to see you again,” Mayuzumi remarked as he settled down beside Kuroko on the bluenette’s bed.

The two of them usually wouldn’t spend time at one of their houses, but it was a bit too warm out for their liking and they refused to not spend time together due to that.

Kuroko smiled and returned the sentiment easily, settling into their usual banter with no problem.

He enjoyed listening to the stories Mayuzumi had to share after his first year of college, and honestly just liked seeing him more alive.

Following the Rakuzan game had been rough for him due to Akashi’s careless words, and Kuroko had been there to help him through it all.

Just another dent in Akashi’s record with Kuroko, honestly.

But he hadn’t expected Mayuzumi to stop one of his stories himself only to pull Kuroko into a gentle kiss before grinning and continuing as if it hadn’t happened.

Kuroko blinked in surprise, but didn’t say anything in protest - definitely wasn’t the weirdest habit one of his friends had, he supposed.

And well.. he couldn’t really complain about it anyway, because it wasn’t as if there was a reason for it to bother him.


	12. "You Meant Too Much To Me." - Generation Of Miracles

"You can forgive Midorima, but not the rest of us?"

Kuroko glanced back to see the Miracles staring at him. 

He'd hoped he wouldn't have to have this conversation with them, but he supposed there was no way to escape it. "Yes, is that a problem?"

"Why, Kuroko?" Akashi asked quietly, genuine curiosity echoing in his words. 

Kuroko glanced to Midorima before he looked to the others. "Because he recognized the pain without being told and tried to apologize long before his old self came back," he responded. "None of the rest of you have even offered an 'I'm sorry', not that it would matter,"

Aomine gave a disgruntled noise. "Did we really hurt you that badly?" he asked. 

Of course, Murasakibara was the one to answer. "We hurt him badly enough that he broke the pictures he has with us," he pointed out. 

Kuroko's eyes flashed darkly at that. "Excuse me?"

Midorima pulled the pictures up on his phone before he spoke. "Your friend sent them to us at your birthday,"

Kuroko looked through them before he sighed and looked back up at them. "Yes, Aomine-kun, you did hurt me that badly. I trusted you, and all of you meant way too much to me and it got me hurt because you couldn't take a simple request seriously." he remarked, tone farther from his deadpan than it had been in a while. 

None of them argued as Midorima got his phone back from Kuroko. 

Kuroko paused before he shook his head and walked away. 

As he was leaving, Kise called out to him. "Kurokocchi! What do we have to do?"

Kuroko paused for a moment and glanced back before he gave a shallow smile and shook his head. " _Don't._ " he commented. "If you care, let me walk away and don't try to fix this right now. Prove I mean as much to you as you meant to me, and I'll think about it,"


	13. "Are You Fucking Insane?!" - Nijimura & Kuroko

Honestly, Nijimura wasn’t sure what to expect at this point. He knew he’d set Kuroko down a path that could easily destroy him and everyone else around him, but he hadn’t thought much of it at the time besides ‘ _I need to help him somehow_ ’

And well… revenge may not always be the best choice, but it was a hell of a lot better than giving up on something you love

Of course, that didn’t stop the reaction he had to Kuroko picking up moves he probably shouldn’t from his opponents.

He watched from the stands, horror painted across his features, during the game against Kirisaki Daīchi. It was then that he realized just how badly he could’ve screwed everything up by suggesting the very idea of revenge to Kuroko

He couldn’t help the feeling of relief when Kuroko got angry at the other team for their underhanded play - the shadow hadn’t changed, everything was a-okay.

* * *

  
He was careful not to approach after that game - he wouldn’t only distract Kuroko - and didn’t bring the game up when he did finally talk to Kuroko face to face again.

At least, not while he was with Seirin.

As soon as he got him alone, though, he exploded.

“Are you fucking insane?! Kuro, you can’t go picking up moves from teams like Kirisaki Daīchi, do you understand me?”

Kuroko blinked at him, but let him rant and worry until he was content.

Then he offered a small smile and replied with a calm, “I only did that to pick it apart later to change it,”

Nijimura stared at him before he sighed, shaking his head and placing the heel of one of his hands to his forehead.


	14. We're All Just Stories In The End - Mayuzumi & Kuroko

“Hey, Shadow?”

Kuroko hummed, glancing over at Mayuzumi to see the older staring up at the sky as stars began showing in the twilight-blue.

Mayuzumi hesitated for a moment now that he had Kuroko’s attention before he gave a wry smile and continued on. “What did you want your life to be like?”

“…happy,” Kuroko answered immediately, looking down when Mayuzumi have him a look that was a perfect mix of surprise and sorrow. “I wanted…. at some point, to look back and have no regrets over anything I’d done. But… life doesn’t allow for that. Why?”

Mayuzumi shrugged in response. “Something that Reo said before, that’s all. It made me think.”

Kuroko waited patiently, knowing that when Mayuzumi went silent that he wasn’t through, he was just trying to find a way to find a way to say what he wanted without it sounding strange.

“Just… It says a lot about a person, their answer, doesn’t it? No one’s answer can ever be the same, because even if they say the same thing, it never means the same thing because that’s the nature of humanity.”

Kuroko smiled fondly, though he couldn’t really argue with that logic.

He went to ask for Mayuzumi’s answer, but the other spoke again before he could.

“… I think… if we’re all only stories at the end of everything… I think my answer has to be that I wanted it to mean something to someone else,”


	15. "You're My Home." - NijiHimu

“So where’s home nowadays, anyway?”  
  
Himuro went to respond without a second’s thought, then paused before he could say anything, staring at Kagami for a moment before he shook his head. “Let's go for food instead, okay?”

Kagami gave him a concerned look, but didn’t argue, falling back into step with him as they headed to Maji Burger.

* * *

“Oh, I didn’t think you’d be home yet.”

Himuro smiled faintly at the sound of Nijimura’s voice from the kitchen. “Taiga’s coach called him in for a last-minute practice,” he offered as he toed his shoes off in the entryway

Nijimura smiled over his shoulder at Himuro when the other joined him in the kitchen. “Tell me what’s bothering you?”

“How’d you know?”

Nijimura laughed as he pulled Himuro down onto his lap, pressing a kiss to the other’s temple before he spoke. “Because you’re quieter than usual,” he admitted. “Did something happen with your ‘brother’?”

Himuro was quiet for a moment before he shrugged. “Not really,”

Nijimura let the silence that settled last for a while before his arms tightened around Himuro’s waist. “Okay, so what’s going on in that head of yours, love?”

Himuro gave a soft smile at the affectionate name before he looked up at Nijimura. “Since when did you become my home? When did it change to this place just being the place where I live, but home is wherever you are?”

Any other time, Nijimura probably would have shied away from that sort of talk, but he understood that that’s what was bothering Himuro at the moment. “I don't know. When did you notice?”

“Today,” Himuro replied, resting his head against Nijimura’s shoulder as he relaxed into the hold the other had on him. “Taiga asked about home, we were talking about coming back here to talk for a while but… this isn’t home and I realized but there’s no way to explain something like that to him.”

Nijimura sighed quietly before he hummed his understanding. “Well… I’m glad i make you feel that safe, at least.”


End file.
